Chain wrench



May 1947.

F. F. POWELL 2,420,682

CHAIN WRENCH Filed J 9 1945 INVENTOR.

latentecl May 20, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

This invention relates to a chain wrench and the present invention is inthe nature of an im provement on the chain wrench disclosed in my priorpatent application Seria1 No. 516,129, filed December 28, 1943.

A general object of this invention is to provide a chain wrench. thatcan be used for turning nuts located in positions where it is difficultor impossible to turn them by the use of ordinary wrenches.

Another object of this invention is to provide a wrench in which thewrench jaw is separate from the handle or jaw operating means by whichit is turned and in which the wrench jaw is positioned at a variabledistance from the jaw operating means when the wrench is in use.

Another object is to provide a chain wrench in which a flexibleconnector, such as a link belt or sprocket chain is used to connect awrench jaw with a wrench jaw operating lever positioned at a distancefrom the Wrench jaw.

Another object is to provide a wrench handle of novel construction forexerting a pull on a link belt by which a nut is to be turned, said wrnch handle being of novel shape for engagement with fixed objects, suchas packing glands on a bulkhead, which fixed objects serve as fulcrummeans for the wrench handle.

Another object is to provide a chain wrench embodying a link belt havinga swivel therein so that the handle or lever arm by which a pull isexerted on said link belt may be turned at various angles withoutproducing a twisting strain in the link belt.

Another object is to provide a wrench handle or lever having a sprocketwheel to receive a link belt and having a spring pressed ratchet pawlengaging said sprocket wheel to lock said sprocket Wheel against rotarymovement in one direction and to provide a wrench handle having anupward bend therein which will reduce the danger of the wrench handleturning when in use.

Another object is to provide an open end type duplex wrench jaw of verystrong construction and of minimum external size in proportion to thesize of thenut it is designed to fit, said wrench jaw being reversibleto fit nuts of two different sizes and being capable of operation in theleast possible space.

One type of work in Which there is a demand for a chain Wrench of thistyne is in the work of installing electric service wires in steel ships.These wires are very numerous and numbers of these wires are usuallygrouped 'to form cables. These cables pass through packing glands inWater tight steel bulkheads in the ships. In some instances thesepacking glands are clustered so close together that it is substantiallyimpossible to turn the nuts of these glands with ordinary wrenches. Mychain wrench comprises a separate wrench jaw that may be applied to thenuts of these glands and wrench jaw operatin means adapted to bepositioned at variable distances from said wrench jaw and connectedtherewith by flexible connector means to operate said wrench jaw.

Further objects of my invention will be apparent from the followingdescription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings Figure l is an elevation of my chain wrench showing thesame applied to a nut on a packing gland in a bulkhead of a ship, only afragment of the bulkhead being shown.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of the Wrench handle or levertaken substantially on broken line 2-2 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view of said wrench handle or levertaken substantially on broken line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view, on a larger scale than Fig. 1 and takensubstantially on broken line 44 of Fig. 1, showing a wrench jaw on apacking gland.

Fig. 5 is a detached view in elevation of. a wrench jaw constructed inaccordance with my invention.

Fig. 6 is a view partly in section and partly in elevation takensubstantially on broken line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevation of a link belt with novel meansprovided in it.

Like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the severalviews.

This chain wrench comprises a duplex wrench jaw lb having preferably twonut receiving recesses 9 and I I of different sizes on opposite sidesthereof. The nut receiving recesses 9 and II are shown octagonal in thedrawings but may be of any other suitable shape, such as hexagonal orsquare. The walls of the wrench jaw which extend around the nutreceiving recess I I are relatively thin in order to reduce the over allexternal dimension of the wrench jaw to a minimum and the jaw is greatlystrengthened by providing therein a medial flange I2 that extends towardthe center of the jaw. The wrench jaw I0 is of the open end type and hasan opening I3 on one side which extends from the periphery of the wrenchjaw into the nut receiving recesses 9 and l I. Either recess 9 or H ofthe wrench jaw is adapted to receive a nut l4 and the opening it isadapted to be passed over any object, such as a cable 15 or group ofwires that pass through said nut it. Obviously this opening I3 can bepassed over any form of rod or conduit or bolt to which a nut i4 isapplied.

Preferably the wrench jaw H3 is of externally cylindrical shape and theperiphery of said wrench jaw is provided with outwardly protrudingsprocket teeth I 6 for engagement with a link belt H.

The sprocket teeth [6 preferably extend substantially around theperiphery of the wrench jaw except where said periphery is interruptedby the opening It. The link belt ll will draw across said opening iswithout releasin its engagement with the sprocket teeth It as the wrenchjaw is turned.

The wrench handle comprises a lever arm 20 having a forked forward endcomprising two prongs 2| each of which has an enlargement 22 on theforward end thereof. The prongs 2| of the forked forward end of thewrench handle are adapted to be engaged with any convenient fixed membersuch as a packing gland 28 on a bulkhead 21.

The head portion of the wrench handle is further externally providedwith concave recesses l8 and I9 that may conveniently be engaged withpacking gland members 28 or any other suitable fulcrum means underoperating conditions which make such engagement desirable. When recessedportions 19 ar engaged with a fulcrum member a substantially shorterlever arm is provided.

The enlargements 22 help to prevent the prongs 2| from sliding off of afixed member or fulcrum with which said prongs are engaged. Preferablythe rear or outer end portion of the handle 20 is positioned at an angleto the forward end portion thereof, as shown. The forked end 2l2! willstraddle a fulcrum member 28 and the wrench handle is not easilydisplaced relative to the fulcrum member. its tendency to turn when inuse.

The wrench handle or lever 28 is provided intermediate its two ends andnearer to its forked inner end with ratchet type link belt grippingmeans with which the link belt I1 that operates the wrench jaw I [Iengages.

This link belt gripping means is formed by providing a passageway orreceptacle 23 in the handle through which the link belt I? passes. Asprocket wheel 24 is rotatively mounted in this receptacle or passageway23 on a pivot 25. A pawl 26 is mounted within the receptacle 23 on atransverse pin 30 and is yieldingly held in engagement with the sprocketwheel 24 by a spring 3|. The pawl 26 is rigidly and non-rotativelysecured to the pivot pin 30 and a knob or like member 32 is secured tosaid pivot pin 30 at one side of the wrench handle to provide a fingerpiece by which the pawl 26 may be manually held in a retracted positionas respects the sprocket wheel 24.

A curved wall 33 is provided in the receptacle 23 in opposed relation tothe sprocket wheel 24 and at the correct distance from said sprocketwheel 24 to form a guide and backing to hold the link belt I! inengagement with the sprocket wheel 24.

When the wrench handle 26 is moved away from the wrench jaw I and in aclockwise direction from the position in which it is shown The bend inthe handle reduces in Fig. 1, the cam or pawl 26 will grip the link beltI! and cause it to be moved with the lever 20 thereby turning the wrenchjaw It. When the lever 20 is moved in the opposite or counterclockwisedirection and at the same time the link belt I! is held taut by exertinga pull thereon below the handle 20 then the sprocket wheel 24 willratchet past the spring pressed pawl 26 and a new and shorter grip willbe taken on said link belt.

As illustrative of the use of this chain wrench on the nuts Id ofpacking glands, Fig. 1 shows a number of the base portions 28 of packingglands secured as by welding to the bulkhead 21 and arranged relativelyclose together with a nut [4 applied to one of these gland and thewrench applied to this nut. The cables or conduits or wires l5 extendthrough these packing glands and, after said cables are drawn into finalposition, the tightening of the nuts l4 compresses packing materialaround the cables or wires 15 and provides a leak tight joint. Fig. 1shows the wrench jaw ii) positioned on a nut I 3 with the flange l2resting against the outer fac of the nut and the opening I3 receivingthe cable Hi. This wrench may be applied, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 eventhough the packing glands are clustered so closely together as to makethem inaccessible to an ordinary wrench after the cables are drawnthrough these glands.

After the wrench is applied, as shown in Fig. 1, it may be operated toturn the nut I l by oscillating the lever wrench handle 29]. This wrenchhandle 20 may be positioned at any desired distance from the nut it thatis to be turned, within the limits set by the length of the link beltll. Thus it is always possible to have said handle 20 away fromobstructions and where it may be freely operated. It is also possible topivotally support the handle 20 by the use of a fixedly anchored tensionmember Or stirrup brought up from a floor below the handle.

Also in some instances it may be necessary to operate the handle 20 indifferent angular positions relative to the wrench jaw. To avoidundesirable twisting of the link belt when this is done I preferablyprovide a link belt 4'! having a swivel 34 therein as shown in Fig. '7.This swivel 34 i positioned between the two sprocket members It and 24when link belt I7 is in use.

The foregoing description and accompanying drawings clearly disclose apreferred embodiment of my invention but it will be understood that thisdisclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes may be made inthis device as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A wrench comp-rising a wrench jaw; sprocket teeth on the periphery ofsaid wrench jaw; a wrench handle separate from said wrench jaw andhaving an end portion shaped for direct engagement with a fixed fulcrum;a link belt adapted to engage with the teeth on said wrench jaw andhaving two loose and unattached end portions; and ratchet means carriedby said wrench handle adapted to engage with one end portion of saidlink belt, whereby angular oscillation of said handle will progressivelymove said link belt in one direction and thereby rotate said wrench jaw.

2. A wrench, comprising a circular wrench jaw having a nut receivingreceptacle and having an opening extending from said nut receivingreceptacle to the periphery of said wrench jaw;

sprocket teeth on the periphery of said wrench jaw; a wrench handleseparate from said wrench jaw; a forked member on one end of said wrenchhandle adapted for direct engagement with a fixed fulcrum; a link beltadapted to engage with the teeth on said wrench jaw and having two looseand unattached end portions; and ratchet means carried by said wrenchhandle adapted to engage with one end portion of said link belt, wherebyangular oscillation of said handle will progressively move said linkbelt in one direction and thereby rotate said wrench law.

3. A wrench, comprising a circular wrench jaw having a nut receivingreceptacle and having an opening extending from said nut receivingreceptacle to the periphery of said wrench jaw; sprocket teeth on theperiphery of said wrench jaw; a wrench handle separate from said wrenchjaw; a forked member on one end of said wrench handle adapted for directengagement with a fixed fulcrum; said wrench handle having a pas,-sageway therein adjacent said forked member; a link belt adapted toengage with the sprocket teeth on said wrench jaw and having two looseand unattached end portions; a sprocket wheel rotatively mounted in thepassageway in said wrench handle adapted for engagement with one endportion of said link belt; a spring pressed pawl engaging said sprocketwheel adapted to lock said sprocket wheel against rotation in onedirection; and means for retracting said jawl clear of said sprocketwheel.

4. In a wrench, a, handle member; forked fulcrum engaging means rigidwith one end of said handle member; a link belt passageway extendingthrough said handle member in the direction of the plane of said forkedfulcrum engaging means; a sprocket wheel rotatively mounted in saidpassageway; a spring pressed pawl engaging said sprocket wheel lockingsaid sprocket wheel against rotation in one direction; a separablewrench jaw applicable to a nut remote from said handle; a link beltadapted to pass through said passageway and around said nut; and wallmeans in said passageway adapted to hold said link belt in engagementwith said sprocket wheel.

5. A wrench, comprising a wrench jaw; sprocket teeth on said wrench jaw;a wrench handle separate from said jaw; forked fulcrum engaging meanscarried by one end portion of said handle; said handle having a bendtherein adjacent said fulcrum engaging means; link belt engaging meanscarried by said handle at the location of said bend; and link belt meansadapted to pass around said Wrench jaw and engage with the link beltengaging means in said handle.

FRANCIS FOSTER POWELL.

